Chapter Nineteen: Jiang Yiran Steals the Membership Card

Yi Pin Pavilion is the most prestigious restaurant in Yun City. It operates on an exclusive membership system, requiring a membership to dine there. The restaurant categorizes its private rooms into four tiers: Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow. To even qualify for a Yellow-tier room, one must have an annual expenditure of one hundred thousand. The Mysterious tier requires two hundred thousand, and so on, reaching four hundred thousand for the Heaven tier. Moreover, the membership cards for Heaven-tier rooms are only issued after the manager of Yi Pin Pavilion evaluates an individual's social wealth and assets to confirm their eligibility.

When Sang Wan first heard this, she found it utterly unreasonable. Who in their right mind would spend four hundred thousand a year to eat at the same place? However, despite the absurdity, the food was undeniably delicious. She had only been a few times, yet she still craved it.

"It’s fine, I have my father’s membership card," Jiang Wuyang said, her voice calm and steady.

"Yay!" Sang Wan cheered happily.

Meanwhile, inside an Earth-tier private room at Yi Pin Pavilion, a group of people sat around chatting in a harmonious atmosphere.

"Thanks to Yiran, I finally have the chance to dine at Yi Pin Pavilion. I’d always heard the food here was exceptional, and today I finally get to taste it!" Ruan An’an beamed, her flattery leaving Jiang Yiran feeling quite pleased. This was an unexpected delight; she hadn’t expected Jiang Yiran to actually possess a membership to the pavilion.

Jiang Wuyang had no idea they were here. If she did, she would surely be envious. After all, this was Yi Pin Pavilion—it was not merely a restaurant; its four tiers were symbols of power and status.

Wen Mubai, usually indifferent, was currently unable to suppress his own spark of surprise. He knew of Yi Pin Pavilion, and his family held a membership, but he had never been brought here. His father never took him, preferring to bring Mu Ziye instead. Even though Mu Ziye was mischievous, performed poorly in school, and had a rebellious nature, his father always brought him to gatherings and introduced him to his friends. He had even seen his father repeatedly ask his associates to look after Mu Ziye in future business dealings.

Wen Mubai’s face twisted with internal resentment. He was clearly more capable than Mu Ziye, so why wouldn’t his father choose to cultivate him? Was it simply because he wasn't his biological son? Was blood relation really that important? He would prove him wrong! Choosing Mu Ziye was his father's biggest mistake!

Jiang Yiran was also in high spirits. In truth, he had "borrowed" the card from Jiang Wuyang. It belonged to their father, who had given it to Jiang Wuyang before going on a business trip. But Jiang Wuyang didn't know how to use it, and since receiving it, she had never touched it—it was a waste. Today, when he "passed by" her room and "happened" to see the card sitting "plainly" on the desk, he had "casually" taken it. After all, it would be a shame not to use it.

Lin Jiachi didn't care where they ate. He leaned back in his chair, fiddling with his phone with a devil-may-care expression, his fingers tapping away as he messaged someone. Duan Jinyan sat next to Ruan An’an, caring for her attentively as he lowered his eyes to pour her lemon water.

Lin Yan, who had just returned from winning a competition, sat in the seat of honor at the head of the table. His features were cold and sharp, marked by a lonely tear mole at the corner of his eye, radiating an aura that kept others at a distance. Yet, this aloofness melted instantly when he looked at Ruan An’an. His gaze was doting, and he would occasionally place her favorite dishes on her plate, treating her like a younger sister.

"Brother Yiran, wouldn't it be bad if we didn't invite Sister Yangyang?"

Upon hearing that name, Jiang Yiran frowned instinctively and curled his lip. "What would she do here? Today is Lin Yan’s victory celebration. I imagine Lin Yan wouldn't be too keen on seeing her either."

Lin Yan, suddenly addressed, paused as he placed food on Ruan An’an’s plate and gave an almost imperceptible grunt of agreement. Recalling how Jiang Wuyang used to pester him, the group fell into an uncharacteristic silence.

Ruan An’an looked guilty, tugging on Lin Yan’s sleeve as she said softly, "I'm sorry, Brother Lin Yan, I shouldn't have brought up Sister at a time like this."

"It's fine," Lin Yan replied, his voice low and magnetic, carrying his usual icy detachment.

"Anyway, enough of that, let's eat. Lin Yan, how did that guy Gu Peizhi do in the biology competition?" Jiang Yiran asked with interest. There was a strange tension between their group and Gu Peizhi. Even though they were all top-tier students in the advanced science class and should theoretically have been close, they found Gu Peizhi pretentious and irritating. Gu Peizhi never approached them, and the two sides kept to themselves. Consequently, their relationship in class was, at best, strained. Yet, they couldn't help but be curious about his achievements.

As Jiang Yiran spoke, all eyes turned to Lin Yan. Lin Yan paused, his eyes flickering with hidden emotion, before he finally said, "First prize."

"He actually got first prize? Doesn't that mean he'll be strutting around the classroom now?" Jiang Yiran grew more agitated by the thought.

Even in Wen Mubai’s eyes, there was a rare hint of envy, followed by a heavy sense of disappointment. Gu Peizhi had good grades in biology, a good family background, and was favored by the biology teacher. Meanwhile, he only excelled in English, but the English teacher treated everyone the same.

Duan Jinyan didn't react; his future was already mapped out, so grades didn't matter much to him. Lin Jiachi cared even less—he didn't care about grades or competitions. If he wanted to get into a school, he could just have the old man throw some money at it.

Only Jiang Yiran was the type to explode at the slightest provocation. "It's a good thing Gu Peizhi’s other grades are mediocre, otherwise he’d have his nose in the clouds."

Jiang Yiran kept muttering, but no one was listening; Lin Jiachi felt particularly annoyed. It was such a trivial matter to harp on, and no wonder Jiang Wuyang had become so irritable lately—he would go crazy too if he had to deal with this. He uncrossed his legs, stood up, and shoved his phone into his pocket. "I’m going to the restroom."

He turned and walked out. There was actually a restroom inside the private room, but he just wanted an excuse to get some air. He had thought Jiang Wuyang would be here, but upon arriving, he only found this group—plus the delicate Ruan An’an. Since Jiang Wuyang wasn't here, what was the point of him eating with them? With that thought, he walked toward the door.

At the same time, at the entrance of Yi Pin Pavilion:

"Excuse me, miss, Yi Pin Pavilion operates on a membership system. Could you please present your membership card?"

Jiang Wuyang nodded, indicating she understood, and reached into her bag to the compartment where she always kept the card.

It was empty.

Jiang Wuyang frowned, feeling a sense of unease. She had kept the card in this partition ever since her father gave it to her; she had never moved it. Had she lost it? She searched through the other pockets of her bag.

Still nothing.

Jiang Wuyang pursed her lips. Looking at the receptionist’s expectant smile, she felt a wave of embarrassment. It seemed that the card was genuinely lost. Just as she was about to turn to tell Sang Wan and the others, a voice came from behind her.

"Jiang Wuyang! What are you doing here?"